Tips and Tricks
There are a few strategies that you can employ to help you stay in the game longer, and increase your winnings. Some of these are more effective against novice players, however others can be utilized against even the toughest opponents. Learn them all well, as they can be employed as they should be employed during both online and offline play.
Don't be overly aggressive with a good hand
This holds true especially when you are playing against beginners. When you receive a good hand, you should do your best to let other players raise, or check when there are no raises. This makes it seem as though you are not too eager to play and perhaps you don't have the best cards on the table. It also gives other players a chance to invest more heavily into the pot on their own accord. You can also see how other players are raising. If you notice more conservative players raising heavily, you may need to look more closely at your cards to see if your hand really is as good as you think it is. The time you should really turn on the aggression is on the river. When the last card has been drawn, you should raise, and depending on the cards you have - raise big. Novice players who have generally stuck around will feel the need to continue playing because they have already invested into the pot. Intermediate players may think you are just trying to buy the pot and scare them away. This is where you can drop the hammer and really make big money.
Use caution with advanced players
Don't be too eager to raise when you are playing with more advanced players. In the beginning, do your best to only play stronger hands - of course, this means that you may not necessarily end up playing in that many hands to start with. Your opponents will label you as a cautious player, and notice that you only go in when you really have a good hand. This of course can work to your advantage. After playing a few hands and letting the other players see how you bet, this opens the door for you to bluff. Once they've noticed that you sometimes bluff, you can go back to playing strong hands only. The most important thing to remember here is to keep mixing it up.
Watch for false tells
Advanced players will use this strategy frequently, so watch out for it. Players who know what they are doing online will make it a point to bet repetatively one way (for example playing cautiously) until you think that they have a specific betting style and then make you pay by bluffing. You need to be aware that the player you are playing against may not always play the same way, and may switch their style mid game. You need to be prepared for this, and watch your opponents carefully. Keep detailed notes on the players you play, as you may end up playing them in the future, and it will help if you have had some experience playing against them in the past,and have some notes on their style of play. Most online websites provide players with the abiity to click on an opponents name and quickly enter notes on the players style of play. This is especially useful for future games, so that you can keep track of playing styles of your opponents.